Hours of Service Basics: The Clocks Every Driver Must Know

Quick answer: If you drive a truck in interstate commerce, the hours-of-service rules in 49 CFR Part 395 run your day on four clocks. After 10 consecutive hours off duty, you may drive up to 11 hours, but only inside the 14 hours after you come on duty. Once you've driven 8 hours without a 30-minute interruption, you need a 30-minute break before you drive again. And you may not drive after 60 hours on duty in 7 days (or 70 in 8 days) until older hours drop off or you take a 34-hour restart. The rest of this guide covers how those clocks bend and how your ELD records them.

Regulatory-change disclaimer: The official sources for this draft were checked October 3, 2026. Hours-of-service rules change through rulemaking, exemptions, pilot programs and guidance. Before you rely on this page, confirm the current text of 49 CFR Part 395 and FMCSA's hours-of-service summary. This is not legal advice.

Why the rules exist

FMCSA limits on-duty time and driving time, and sets the number and length of rest periods, "to help ensure that drivers stay awake and alert." Every rule below is that idea turned into arithmetic.

Who has to follow them

The federal safety rules, Part 395 included, apply to commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce (49 CFR 390.3T). Under 49 CFR 390.5T, a truck is a CMV if its weight rating or actual weight is 10,001 pounds or more (whichever is greater), counting the whole combination when it pulls a trailer, or if it hauls hazardous materials in amounts that require placards. A pickup that is light on its own can become a CMV once the trailer behind it puts the combination over that line.

• Interstate is broader than crossing a state line. Under the same section, a run inside one state still counts when the freight started out of state or is headed out of state.
• Intrastate-only drivers follow their state's rules. FMCSA's interstate driver's guide says the federal hours rules don't apply to intrastate-only operations, and that most states' rules are similar or identical.
• Bus and motorcoach drivers have different limits in 49 CFR 395.5. This guide is for truck drivers.

The four duty statuses

Every minute of your day goes in one of four boxes (49 CFR 395.8(b)), and the definitions in 49 CFR 395.2 decide which box a minute goes in:

• Driving: all time at the driving controls of a CMV in operation.
• On duty (not driving): work that isn't driving, like your pre-trip, fueling, loading and unloading, or waiting at a shipper or terminal unless you've been relieved from duty. Driving time counts as on-duty time too.
• Off duty: relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work.
• Sleeper berth: resting in a berth that meets the federal equipment standard.

The 11-hour driving limit

After 10 consecutive hours off duty, you may drive a total of 11 hours (49 CFR 395.3(a)(1) and (a)(3)(i)). Only driving counts. Loading, fueling and paperwork don't touch the 11, but they burn your 14-hour window and your weekly hours. The 11 doesn't have to be one stretch, and it resets after another 10 consecutive hours off (a qualifying sleeper-berth split recalculates it instead). Full guide: The 11-Hour Driving Limit.

The 14-hour window

The 14-hour clock starts the first time you come on duty after 10 consecutive hours off, even if it's just a pre-trip. You may not drive after the 14th consecutive hour (49 CFR 395.3(a)(2)). FMCSA's summary says off-duty time does not extend the 14-hour period, so a long lunch or a nap counts against the window just like dock time. Only specific rules change that math, like a qualifying sleeper-berth split or adverse driving conditions. After hour 14 you can still do non-driving work, but FMCSA's driver's guide notes it counts toward your 60/70 hours. Full guide: The 14-Hour Driving Window.

The 30-minute break

Once you've driven 8 cumulative hours without at least a 30-minute interruption, you need a break before you drive again (49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii)). That's 8 hours of driving, not 8 hours since your shift began. Since FMCSA's 2020 rule took effect on September 29, 2020, any 30 consecutive minutes without driving counts: off duty, sleeper berth, on duty (not driving), or a mix taken back to back. A half hour at a dock does it. Drivers who qualify for the short-haul exceptions don't need the break. Full guide: The 30-Minute Break Rule.

The 60/70-hour limit and the 34-hour restart

You may not drive after 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days if your carrier doesn't run trucks every day of the week, or after 70 hours in 8 consecutive days if it does (49 CFR 395.3(b)). It's a rolling total, so the oldest day drops off as each new day starts. Taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty starts a new 7- or 8-day period (49 CFR 395.3(c)), and FMCSA's driver's guide calls that restart optional. The full rulebook: CDL Hours of Service Rules Explained.

Splitting your 10 hours in the sleeper berth

If your truck has a sleeper berth, you can split your 10 hours off into two periods (49 CFR 395.1(g)), as long as one is at least 7 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, the other is at least 2 consecutive hours (off duty, sleeper berth, or both), and together they total at least 10 hours. That's the 7/3 and 8/2 split. A 7/2 totals only 9, so it doesn't qualify. Neither qualifying period counts against your 14-hour window, and your clocks are recalculated from the end of the first period. Work the examples in Split Sleeper-Berth Rules before you try one on a live load.

The 6/4 and 5/5 splits you may hear about are not available to any driver right now. They come from an FMCSA pilot program whose short pre-test ended in June 2026; the full pilot is planned for 2027 and will be limited to the drivers FMCSA selects for it. Until then, the 7/3 and 8/2 splits above are the only legal ways to split your 10 hours.

Adverse driving conditions

Snow, ice, sleet, fog, other bad weather, or unusual road or traffic conditions can give you up to 2 extra hours on both the 11-hour limit and the 14-hour window (49 CFR 395.1(b)(1)). Under the definition in 49 CFR 395.2, the conditions must be ones that weren't known, or couldn't reasonably have been known, to you right before your duty day (or before you started driving again after a qualifying rest), or to your carrier right before it dispatched you. The extra time is only for finishing the run or reaching a safe place. Everyday rush-hour traffic isn't "unusual," so it doesn't count.

The short-haul exception

Local drivers who come back to the same yard every day may not need a log at all. Under 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1), you're exempt from keeping a record of duty status, and so from the ELD, when:

• you stay within a 150 air-mile radius (172.6 statute miles) of your normal work reporting location;
• you return there and are released from work within 14 consecutive hours;
• you get at least 10 consecutive hours off duty between each 14-hour duty period; and
• your carrier keeps 6 months of time records showing when you reported for duty, when you were released, and your total hours each day.

Qualifying drivers also skip the 30-minute break, but the 11-hour, 14-hour and 60/70-hour limits still apply. Miss any condition and the exception doesn't cover you.

Personal conveyance and yard moves

These are two ELD special driving categories your carrier can turn on (49 CFR 395.28). Select the category before you move, and turn it off when the move ends.

• Personal conveyance (PC) is moving the truck for personal use while off duty, and it's logged as off duty. Under FMCSA's guidance, you must be relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work, and the truck may be loaded. Driving from your truck stop or motel to a restaurant fits, and so does going to the nearest reasonable, safe place to rest after you load or unload. Bypassing available rest spots to get closer to your next stop doesn't. Your carrier can limit PC or set stricter rules, and PC never stops your 14-hour window. Full guide: Personal Conveyance Explained.
• A yard move is logged as on duty (not driving), per FMCSA's ELD FAQs. It saves your 11 hours of driving but still uses your 14-hour window and 60/70 hours. Where a yard move can happen comes from FMCSA guidance, covered in Yard Move Explained.

Your logs and the ELD

Most interstate drivers must log on an electronic logging device, or ELD (49 CFR 395.8(a)). The exceptions are narrow, like needing a log on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, or the short-haul exception above.

• Keep your status current. The ELD switches you to driving automatically once the truck is moving (49 CFR Part 395, Subpart B, Appendix A), and you select the other statuses yourself (49 CFR 395.24). A false log is a violation, and so is tampering with an ELD so it doesn't record accurately (49 CFR 395.8(e)).
• Know your ELD packet. Your carrier must make sure you carry a data-transfer instruction sheet, a malfunction instruction sheet and at least 8 days of blank paper log graph-grids (49 CFR 395.22(h)). The user's manual requirement was rescinded effective July 22, 2026. When an officer asks, you must produce and transfer your records from the ELD (49 CFR 395.24(d)).
• If the ELD fails, give your carrier written notice within 24 hours, rebuild the current day and the previous 7 days on paper unless you already have them or can pull them from the ELD, and stay on paper until it's fixed (49 CFR 395.34). Step by step: ELD Malfunctions.

A day on the clocks

Example (illustration, not legal advice): You come on duty at 06:00 after 10 hours off, so your window closes at 20:00.

• 06:00–06:30 — pre-trip inspection (on duty, not driving).
• 06:30–10:30 — drive 4 hours (4 of 11 used).
• 10:30–11:30 — loading at a shipper (on duty, not driving). This hour also counts as your 30-minute break.
• 11:30–16:30 — drive 5 hours (9 of 11 used).
• 16:30–17:00 — off duty for a meal.
• 17:00–19:00 — drive 2 hours (11 of 11 used).

Driving ends at 19:00 with an hour of window left, and the day added 12.5 hours to your 60/70 total (everything but the meal). If the shipper had held you three hours instead of one, the window would have ended your day first, with driving hours left over. Plan around the window.

Common mistakes

• Thinking an off-duty lunch pauses the 14-hour window. It doesn't.
• Counting the 8-hour break trigger from the start of the shift instead of from driving time.
• Pairing 7 hours in the sleeper with a 2-hour break. A split needs at least 10 hours in total.
• Using personal conveyance to get the load closer to the receiver. A move that helps the load or the carrier is driving, not PC.
• Forgetting to select PC or yard move before you move. FMCSA's ELD FAQs say that driving time can't be edited away later; you can only annotate it.
• Treating carrier policy as federal law. Your carrier may set stricter rules (49 CFR 390.3T(d)), but it can never permit you to break Part 395.

Driver checklist

• Before you roll, know four numbers: driving hours left, when your 14-hour window closes, driving time since your last 30-minute break, and your 60/70 hours left.
• Plan the 30-minute break where you already have to stop: a dock, a fuel island, a scale line.
• Know whether you're on a 60-hour/7-day or 70-hour/8-day schedule, and know your carrier's written policy on personal conveyance and yard moves.
• Keep the ELD instruction sheets and 8 days of blank paper logs in the cab, and know how to transfer your logs to an officer.

Frequently asked questions

Do off-duty breaks stop the 14-hour clock?

No. The 14-hour period in 49 CFR 395.3(a)(2) keeps running, and FMCSA's summary says off-duty time does not extend it. Only specific rules change the window, like a qualifying sleeper-berth split under 49 CFR 395.1(g) or adverse driving conditions under 49 CFR 395.1(b).

Does the 30-minute break have to be off duty?

No. Since the 2020 rule, any 30 consecutive minutes without driving satisfies 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)(ii), including on-duty time like loading or fueling.

What's the difference between the 60-hour and 70-hour limits?

It's the same limit on two schedules under 49 CFR 395.3(b): 60 hours in 7 days if your carrier doesn't operate trucks every day of the week, and 70 hours in 8 days if it does.

Is the 34-hour restart required?

No. The restart in 49 CFR 395.3(c) is optional, as FMCSA's driver's guide says. Without it, your on-duty hours roll off as the 7- or 8-day period moves forward.

Do I need an ELD if I run local?

Not if you meet every condition of the 150 air-mile short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1): inside the radius, back and released within 14 hours, 10 hours off between shifts, and time records kept by your carrier.

Can I use personal conveyance with a loaded trailer?

Yes. FMCSA's personal conveyance guidance allows a loaded truck, as long as the move is personal, you've been relieved from work, and your carrier allows PC. A loaded trailer doesn't turn a personal trip into work, and an empty one doesn't turn a business move into PC.

Keep learning

• The complete rulebook: CDL Hours of Service Rules Explained
• Each clock in depth: The 11-Hour Driving Limit · The 14-Hour Driving Window · The 30-Minute Break Rule · Split Sleeper-Berth Rules
• ELD categories and device trouble: Personal Conveyance Explained · Yard Move Explained · ELD Malfunctions
• What happens at roadside: CVSA Out-of-Service Criteria · Level 1 DOT Inspection Explained
• Test yourself: the General Knowledge practice test · new guides by email as they publish